Bookmarks: Infiltrating the Library System

Welcome to Bookmarks XIV. This annual series grew out of an aim to encourage appreciation and awareness of artists working in the book format. Participating artists each produce an edition of 100 signed and numbered bookmarks which are divided into 100 sets; one full set being sent to each of the contributing artists and the rest divided and sent in distribution boxes to participating host venues around the world, for visitors to enjoy.

Over the last fourteen years, the Bookmarks series of free artwork distribution has visited 148 galleries, bookstores, workshops, centres, schools, museums and libraries in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Singapore, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK and USA

544 artists have contributed 54,700 bookmarks to the fourteen projects to date. Each bookmark is stamped with the current project’s website address, which directs the taker of the bookmark to the gallery section of the website. Visitors can view works by the artists and contact contributors via their website and email links on our site.

As interest in the artist’s book has grown internationally over these years, the bookmarks projects have reached a natural conclusion. Next year will see the final iteration of the project, and we will send bookmarks out to the final 10 venues and also do something special to celebrate the past 15 years of Bookmarks!

Bookmarks XIV has contributions by 31 artists from: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, the UK, and the USA. Many thanks to all the artists and venues participating in our penultimate year of Bookmarks XIV. We have bookmarks commemorating 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare in Heather Chou’s hand-typed ‘Venus and Adonis’; Penny Maltby’s historical celebrations of the linguistic impact of wool; 100 individually hand cut bookmarks by Janine Partington; a welcome to refugees from Ahlrich van Ohlen; photographs of end of summer cicadas in the American South from Todd Zimmer, and much more…

Many thanks to Ben Scragg for all his help with the bookmarks project stamping and collating this year.

Many thanks to all the artists who have signed up for the final outing of Bookmarks XV, we are now full.

We are planning celebrations here and will be sending out the usual boxes of free bookmarks to venues anywhere in the world for September 2017 – February 2018. If you wish to receive a venue set please get in touch early as we already have a few on the list. Please email Sarah at Sarah.Bodman@uwe.ac.uk